B.C. Supreme Court throws out Nanaimo man's 'scandalous' $32-trillion lawsuit

VICTORIA -- A judge has thrown out a Nanaimo man’s lawsuit against the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), in which the plaintiff sought $32 trillion in damages, an audience with the Queen and an MRI scan of his entire body.

According to court documents, Tyler Adam Chamberlin was hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Nanaimo in 2018. The driver allegedly fled the scene and Chamberlin later filed a civil suit against B.C.’s auto insurer, claiming physical and emotional injuries.

The Nanaimo man then amended his claim, adding more defendants, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C. Premier John Horgan and Queen Elizabeth II, among others.

Without a lawyer, Chamberlin appeared before the B.C. Supreme Court to argue his case on March 1. Appearing via teleconference were lawyers for ICBC, the Attorney General of Canada, the Attorney General of British Columbia, the City of Nanaimo, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and the Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia.

Chamberlin argued his relief should include $32 trillion, the “reconstruction” of the RCMP, 500,000 shares in Tesla, the suspension of trade between Canada and China, the release of various classified documents, an MRI of his entire body and the dismantling of Transport Canada. He also sought a private meeting with the Queen and the “cleaning up of the swamp,” which was not defined more clearly in the court documents.

In his ruling on March 5, judge Douglas Thompson dismissed Chamberlin’s suit, saying his claims were “scandalous, vexatious, and otherwise an abuse of process.”

Chamberlin had argued that the rules of the civil claim process were confusing and accused staff at the court registry of misleading and obstructing him.

“This case highlights the difficulties that can result in a system that allows litigants to file documents without a process in place to screen those documents to ensure basic conformity with the rules,” Thompson wrote in his decision. "I infer from the material he filed for these applications that he has been unsuccessful in obtaining legal advice."

Only one defendant is seeking costs related to the hearing process, but the judge wrote that he would not pursue costs unless the defendant “chooses to press the issue,” in which case the judge would convene a teleconference to hear Chamberlin’s submissions on the matter before ruling.